Senate GOP fails in final bid to block military pension cuts in budget bill
Published December 18

A final effort by Senate Republicans to halt cuts to pensions of military retirees failed late Tuesday, after Democrats blocked an amendment to the controversial budget bill.

The two-year budget agreement, which cleared a key test vote earlier in the day, was expected to get a final vote no later than Wednesday.

Ahead of the final vote, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., tried unsuccessfully to use a parliamentary tactic to force a vote on the amendment, which he wrote to undo the cuts for military retirees.

A provision in the already House-passed bill would cut retirement benefits for military retirees by $6 billion over 10 years.

Sessions wanted to instead eliminate an estimated $4.2 billion in annual spending by reining in an IRS credit that illegal immigrants have claimed.

He and fellow senators argued the bill unfairly sticks veterans and other military retirees with the cost of new spending.

“It’s not correct, and it should not happen,” Sessions said on the floor.

"By blocking my amendment, they voted to cut pensions for wounded warriors," he said afterwards. "Senators in this chamber have many valid ideas for replacing these pension cuts, including my proposal to close the tax welfare loophole for illegal filers, and all deserved a fair and open hearing. But they were denied.”

Sessions’ office claimed the vote Tuesday to block the amendment was a vote to "cut military pensions instead of cutting welfare for illegal immigrants."

The Republican-led House passed the bill last week in an effort to avoid another stalemate leading to a potential government shutdown, like the one in October that polls showed was largely unpopular with voters.

The two-year budget deal would ease for two years some of the harshest cuts to agency budgets required under automatic spending curbs commonly known as sequestration. It would replace $45 billion in scheduled cuts for the 2014 budget year already underway, easing about half of the scheduled cuts.

That's unfortunate and federal employee's pension got hammered down under budget bill too. My father's military pension was more generous than newer service members because the congress changed the military pension about decade ago.

To end corporate welfare effectively means no more Republican Party. They live and breath corporate welfare. They personify it. They live it. They are it. It is a Party of corruption so complete that it staggers the mind to try and wrap all the way around it.

To end corporate welfare effectively means no more Republican Party. They live and breath corporate welfare. They personify it. They live it. They are it. It is a Party of corruption so complete that it staggers the mind to try and wrap all the way around it.

I don't think so and I believe democrats support corporate welfare as well.

Libertarians oppose corporate welfare and they want defense to be strictly to our country and doesn't want intervene with other countries, oppose any government-run pensions, oppose welfare for low income families, abolish most or all of taxes, doesn't support anti-discrimination for Americans with disabilities.

How can you not see what the Republican Party does. Do you not understand the relationship between what they do and who benefits the most?
I am against at least half of what each Party does but I easily see what Republican politics is really about. The superrich who own them are ripping this country off like a monstrous sucking cluster of parasites and you cannot see it?

How can you not see what the Republican Party does. Do you not understand the relationship between what they do and who benefits the most?

What do you think you saw in this vote? What do you think they do? I know that this vote does not benefit military retirees and disabled members.

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I am against at least half of what each Party does but I easily see what Republican politics is really about. The superrich who own them are ripping this country off like a monstrous sucking cluster of parasites and you cannot see it?

A bill introduced on Thursday in the House of Representatives would remove pension cuts to military retirees in the budget agreement passed this week and offset the fiscal difference by closing of a loophole that allows illegal immigrants to receive tax credits.

I'm wondering what else was in it. That's usually what happens. Somebody proposes a bill or amendment for one thing, but they tack on all kinds of nastiness onto it, and they when it doesn't pass because of all the crap that's in it they cry "they don't want the one thing"!!!

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Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today

but disabled veterans get severance pay if they are less than 20 years.

So we have three benefits for the military service members?

Veterans' benefits for those who were active for less than 20 years
Retirement benefits for those who retired after 20 years of service
Disabled benefits for those who became disabled while on active

One co-worker told me that if he died while on active, his life insurance (that is available for military service members only) would cover it, not the government. He had to buy the insurance. I said WTF?

Not really, military pension has been cut or reformed over time, to make less generous, but more people want to join the military.

The change in pension only affect newer veterans, not retired veterans like Reba and her husband, and my father.

It affects veterans under 62 years old. I'm 62 but TCS is 61. Most veterans who are medically retired from disabilities resulting from the war on terror are under age 62, so it will affect them unless a change is accepted on the bill.

but disabled veterans get severance pay if they are less than 20 years.

If an active duty member retires after 20 years they get the lowest percentage pension. It is increased in increments up to 30 years. They can stay in longer than 30 years but the percentage of pension won't increase. That pension is taxed.

Medically retired veterans with less than 20 years service don't get a severance pay but get retirement pensions. I'm not sure of the formula for calculating the amount. Depending on the type of disability, an equivalent percentage of the retirement pension is not taxed.

Medically discharged veterans get a one-time transition pay out (maybe that's what you meant by severance pay). They don't get a monthly pension.

The difference between the medical categories requires going before lengthy involved medical boards for determination.

Also, for people who are reservists at the time they retire, they don't start collecting their pensions until age 60.

...One co-worker told me that if he died while on active, his life insurance (that is available for military service members only) would cover it, not the government. He had to buy the insurance. I said WTF?

That is SGLI (Servicemembers Group Life Insurance). It was created for military members because regular insurance companies wouldn't cover them due to the risk of combat.

The coverage and rates are reasonable.

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Coverage
SGLI coverage is available in $50,000 increments up to the maximum of $400,000. Covered members receive 120 days of free coverage from their date of separation. Coverage can be extended for up to two years if the Servicemember is totally disabled at separation. Part-time coverage is also provided to Reserve members who do not qualify for full-time coverage (members covered part-time do not receive 120 days of free coverage).

If you are totally disabled at the time of separation (unable to work), you can apply for the SGLI Disability Extension, which provides free coverage for up to two years from the date of separation. At the end of the extension period, you automatically become eligible for VGLI, subject to premium payments.

Cost/RatesIf you have SGLI coverage, you pay a monthly premium that is automatically deducted from your base pay. The current basic SGLI premium rate is 6.5 cents per $1,000 of insurance. The premium includes an additional $1.00 per month for Traumatic Injury Protection coverage (TSGLI).

To end corporate welfare effectively means no more Republican Party. They live and breath corporate welfare. They personify it. They live it. They are it. It is a Party of corruption so complete that it staggers the mind to try and wrap all the way around it.

From CBS news 2010:
"While the economy has generally faltered over the past two years, congressional members actually saw their collective personal wealth increase by more than 16 percent between 2008 and 2009, according to the study, which analyzed financial disclosure data released earlier this year.

As many as 55 members had an average calculated wealth of $10 million or more in 2009, according to the Center.

According to the Center's estimates, the wealthiest member of Congress is Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), whose holdings exceed $303.5 million. Rep Jane Harman (D-Calif.) is close behind with $293.4 million, and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) rounds out the top three at $238.8 million.

Members of Congress are only required to report their wealth and liabilities in broad ranges, so the Center calculated each member's average estimated wealth by determining the minimum and maximum value of their assets. Additionally, federal financial disclosures don't require members of Congress to report certain assets such as personal residences.

The list of Congress' wealthiest members is bipartisan. In the House, five Democrats and five Republicans make up the 10 wealthiest members, while in the Senate, six Democrats and four Republicans make up the top 10.

The median wealth of a House member in 2009 stood at $765,010, while the median wealth for a senator in 2009 was nearly $2.38 million.

Members of the House and Senate made investments last year in a number of companies that have a strong presence on Capitol Hill, spending large sums on lobbying efforts and political donations. The most popular company among members of Congress, CRP found, was General Electric, in which 82 current members invested. The second most popular company was Bank of America, which 63 members invested in."

President Obama hired Jeffery Immelt (General Electric Chairman) to head the post of President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.

From Forbes.com: "his company (GE) invests some of its resources abroad and, despite worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, paid no taxes in 2010." "GE is a major player in several industries that President Obama has been promoting as part of his administration’s cocksure embrace of industrial policy."

From CBS news 2010:
"While the economy has generally faltered over the past two years, congressional members actually saw their collective personal wealth increase by more than 16 percent between 2008 and 2009, according to the study, which analyzed financial disclosure data released earlier this year.

As many as 55 members had an average calculated wealth of $10 million or more in 2009, according to the Center.

According to the Center's estimates, the wealthiest member of Congress is Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), whose holdings exceed $303.5 million. Rep Jane Harman (D-Calif.) is close behind with $293.4 million, and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) rounds out the top three at $238.8 million.

Members of Congress are only required to report their wealth and liabilities in broad ranges, so the Center calculated each member's average estimated wealth by determining the minimum and maximum value of their assets. Additionally, federal financial disclosures don't require members of Congress to report certain assets such as personal residences.

The list of Congress' wealthiest members is bipartisan. In the House, five Democrats and five Republicans make up the 10 wealthiest members, while in the Senate, six Democrats and four Republicans make up the top 10.

The median wealth of a House member in 2009 stood at $765,010, while the median wealth for a senator in 2009 was nearly $2.38 million.

Members of the House and Senate made investments last year in a number of companies that have a strong presence on Capitol Hill, spending large sums on lobbying efforts and political donations. The most popular company among members of Congress, CRP found, was General Electric, in which 82 current members invested. The second most popular company was Bank of America, which 63 members invested in."

President Obama hired Jeffery Immelt (General Electric Chairman) to head the post of President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.

From Forbes.com: "his company (GE) invests some of its resources abroad and, despite worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, paid no taxes in 2010." "GE is a major player in several industries that President Obama has been promoting as part of his administration’s cocksure embrace of industrial policy."